


The Space That Separates Us

by good_boy_Ben_Solo



Category: Reylo - Fandom, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Fusion, Angst and Humor, Ben Solo and Rey AU, Ben and Rey fluff, Ben loses his memory, Canon Universe, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Kylo Ren & Rey AU, Rey and Finn are best friends, Rey/Kylo Ren Fluff, Slow Burn, Will update tags as we go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-05-30 17:14:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19407754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/good_boy_Ben_Solo/pseuds/good_boy_Ben_Solo
Summary: After refusing to kill Han Solo on the Starkiller Base, Kylo flees in an attempt to get away from the consequences of his decision. But what he finds out is that each choice he makes creates a divergent timeline – unaware that it would land him in a completely different world, where everything he's known doesn't exist.





	1. Where Space and Time Meet

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to mess around with this idea after rewatching the SW Rebels episode, "A World Between Worlds". Let's see where it takes us, shall we? :)

_I have to get to Maz._

Unsure of if he’d be welcome, he didn’t have time to care. Kylo needed to get away from the Starkiller Base, and he needed to get away fast. Maz was the only living creature he could think of that would possibly give him a chance to explain what happened – a chance to explain why he’d come so close to killing his father – and hopefully, offer aid in figuring out what to do next.

_But I didn’t kill him,_ Kylo reminded himself. _I couldn’t do it._

_*****_

Under the command of Snoke, Kylo Ren had been ordered to execute his father – the final test in his allegiance to not only Snoke, but to the dark side as a whole. He’d had every intention to follow through with his orders during the time leading up to the encounter with his father. 

“Ben –” Han yelled before sharply cutting himself off in hesitation. “My son.” 

Keeping his steps steady, Han balanced his breathing as he built the strength to walk towards his son who stood before him on the bridge; the first time he’d seen him in countless years. He no longer cared about the Starkiller Base or their mission. All he could focus on was the tall, masked man – the shell of what remained of Ben.

Leia’s voice replayed in his head: **_Bring our son home._**

With the mask covering his face, Kylo was able to hide his surprise at his birth given name being called out, reminding him of what felt like a completely different life he once lived with his mother and father. Though the name tugged at his heartstrings, he was able to quickly move past the small sentiment. “Han Solo,” Kylo stated in a stale tone.

Kylo couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen his father, but he got an idea of just how much time had passed once he was close enough to study the wrinkles Han had acquired on his face. Years of laughter, worry, and emotion proudly showed themselves as badges for all to see. He watched as tears formed in the corners of Han’s eyes, followed by the struggle to prevent them from flowing down his cheeks. 

“Take off that mask. You don’t need it.” Han barked the orders, but somehow they seemed to flow out more like a plea. 

"What do you think you’ll see?” Kylo’s mask distorted his growl; his chest puffed out in an attempt at intimidation. 

“The face of my son.” Holding his gait firm, Han spoke sternly. He knew his son was in there somewhere, regardless of the facade he hid behind. 

Ben wasn’t lost – he couldn’t be.

Spite burning within him, Kylo impulsively pulled the mask from his face; the eerie hiss of the mechanisms echoing off the walls around them. The thud of his mask being dropped to the bridge they stood on refused to reverberate off of the seemingly floorless cavity beneath them. 

He wanted to show his dad that Ben Solo no longer resided within his body – Kylo Ren now possessed this anatomy. Unexpectedly, a moment's doubt flickered. 

_What if this is a bad idea? No. It can’t be. I’ll show him what the dark side has done for me._

Kylo was going to prove his father wrong; he was going to show him the darkness that had taken over his being – the evil that coursed through his veins.

With the reveal of his son’s face, Han was flabbergasted; completely stunned at the endlessly dark and hollow eyes he stared into – frantically searching for anything he recognized within them. The face of the young child that had haunted Han’s memories for years had changed...this wasn’t who he remembered. His skin was the same freckled, pale white it'd always been, but those eyes – they contradicted the flesh that held them. 

“Your son is dead. He was weak and foolish, like his father before him. I had no choice but to destroy him.”

“Bullshit.” Han forced out in a cracked whisper. “That’s what Snoke wants you to believe, but it’s not true.” He’d worked up his strength at that point, planting his feet to the floor – they’d suddenly grown roots and were unwilling to back down. Han was ready to bring his son home. “My son **is** alive.”

Kylo began to feel his vulnerability; he began to regret exposing his bare face. There was nothing to hide behind. Being this close to his father had a different effect on him than what he’d originally assumed it would. His chest was warm; he could feel the light and dark within him fighting amongst each other to take the lead. His heart yearned for the feeling of love and acceptance, yet his soul had been tainted with a darkness that felt as if it would forever linger there.

“No. The Supreme Leader is wise.”

“Don’t be stupid, Ben,” Han reached for his son’s arm, but Kylo pulled away before he could be touched. Determined, Han didn’t let the act deter him. “He’s using you for your power. You’re a pawn...a slave.”

“You’re wrong.” Backing away, Kylo could only speak in small segments. Pulling air into his lungs became much more difficult – like he’d never be able to hold air inside of them again. 

Feeling strong in his words, Han continued on in hopes that the spoken truth would break through his son’s barrier. He could feel as the weight shifted in his favor. “When he gets what he wants...when he’s through with you...he’ll kill you, Ben.”

Kylo took a quick step away from his father’s approaching body. He’d gotten uncomfortably close; physically and mentally. Unable to find the right words to say, all he could do was stare at Han with wide eyes. 

Han saw the look of fear flash in his son’s gaze; it was clear that Ben knew the truth, but refused to accept it. Snoke’s claws were dug in too deep. “You know it’s true.”

The moments between them froze and they held an exchanged glare; burning stares into each other's faces as they each tried to figure out what thoughts flowed through the others head. Feeling as emotion bubbled towards the surface, Kylo Ren did what he could to force it back down. “It’s too late,” momentarily hesitating, he swallowed hard. “We both know it’s too late.”

“No, it’s not.” Han no longer cared about sounding desperate. “Leave here with me. Come home. Your mother misses you. I miss you.”

_What’s this?_ Kylo thought to himself as tears pooled into the corners of his eyes. _What’s happening?_ He gnawed on the inside of his cheek, clenching his jaw down harder than he ever had. _Make it stop._

With the quivering of his lips, Kylo’s chin dimpled in. “I’m being torn apart.”

The words ripped through Han deeper than any lightsaber ever could.

“I want to be free of this pain.” The words themselves burned at Kylo’s mouth; the guilt of speaking them out loud made the acid in his stomach creep up into his esophagus. He knew he shouldn’t be saying this, so why was he?

“I want to be free of this...of this pain – of all of it.” He could feel Snoke’s orders tearing through his veins. The directive was clear; just as clear as the physical consequences he knew he’d endure if he didn’t fulfill them. “I know what I have to do, but I don’t know if I have the strength to do it.”

“I’ll help you. Anything. Just tell me what you need.” The words were hurried and sloppy, but low enough so they couldn’t be heard by anyone outside of their immediate bubble. 

Kylo’s hands moving towards the hilt on his belt caught Han’s attention. Impulsively, Han gripped onto Kylo’s wrists – attempting to pull his hand away from the weapon. “Don’t do this. I won’t stop you, but please son...don’t do this.” 

Pulling his hand away from his father's grasp, Kylo grabbed hold of his saber. Gripping it in his palm between them, they both looked down at the weapon. Kylo slid his gloved fingers across the cooled metal and exposed wires. 

With a sudden jolt of his hand, the laser sword switched on; grazing Han’s side just enough to drop him to his knees.

With that, Kylo turned his back to his father and began to swiftly trudge away. “Don’t follow me. This is where we part ways.”

*****

Unsure of how long he’d be able to hold off the urge to follow Snoke’s order, Ben wanted to get as far away from his father as possible. What had come over him? Why did he care about Han’s wellbeing all of a sudden?

After all of these years of built up rage and heartache due to his parents, why did he stop himself from killing the one person who stood between him and what he believed to be his ultimate goal – the dark side.

_Maz’s castle. She’ll be there._

He quickly typed in the coordinates into his ship’s directional system. Once his course was set, fear blanketed him. 

_Wait...what if she doesn’t believe me? How can I get her to believe that I’m not there on First Order business? It’s been years since I’ve seen her, and now I’m just going to show up?...and then what?_

Ben bit his lip as different scenarios of his arrival played through his mind – more bad endings than good ones.

Once his shuttle landed in the forest of Takodana, he didn’t have much time to think about it further. As the ramp lowered with a thud, a voice pierced through the lingering space surrounding him.

“I was wondering when you’d arrive, Benjamin.” Maz’s voice was distinct and instantly recognizable. Though she was short, her demeanor held her tall as her hands were placed on her hips. “Follow me, and don’t you dare grab that mask.”

His fingers quaked as they hovered above his mask; a moments debate coursed within him. Squeezing his hand into a fist, his glove tightened around his fingers. Kylo walked heavily towards Maz, leaving the mask behind him.

“I’m not here to cause problems, I –”

“You don’t need to explain anything to me. I know.”

Kylo’s face paled. “You know?” His teeth clenched together until his jaw began to pain from the pressure. “How? What do you know?”

“Enough,” Maz countered as she hurriedly pushed the thicket from in front of her, continuing to clear their path to a still unknown destination. “You need a way out and I have one. You’re going to Lothal.”

“Lothal? What’s on Lothal?” Kylo ducked under the many branches of the thick brush they walked through as he tried to maintain pace with Maz.

“A Jedi temple.”

“Maz, I don’t think that a Jedi temple is going to help me ri–”

Maz raised her hands as she shooed his attempt at a debate. “Let the Force guide you.” A simple statement that held so much power behind it.

The trees opened up and revealed an overgrown hangar; one that seemed to be hidden away and forgotten about. “Ah, here it is! Come!”

Kylo shook his head in disagreement, refusing to take the step to exit the forest. “The Force gave up on me a long time ago. There’s no chance it’d guide me anywhere.” A feeling he hadn’t felt in a while blossomed throughout his body; shame. “I can never come back.”

“What do you think brought you here, young Solo?” Maz took Kylo’s hand in hers as she directed him towards the hangar. 

The station was dark with only small streams of light spilling through fractures in the stone building; dust and mold covered the walls in a thick layer. Drops of water could be heard trickling down through soft echoes. The twists and turns felt like a never-ending maze, but Maz’s steps assured him that she knew exactly where they were headed. 

Pointing at a flickering light above an old ship down the hall they’d entered, Maz smiled. Not an ordinary type of smile, but an all-knowing smile. The type of smirk with the amount of comfort that draws you in and refuses to let you go. “The light will guide you. You’re exactly where you need to be.”

Knowing that arguing with her would get him nowhere, Ben nodded as he agreed to get onto the shuttle Maz was offering him.

“Take this,” Maz pried Kylo’s fingers open and shoved a folded piece of paper into it. “Put it somewhere that it can be easily found again. Read it if you want, but it won’t mean anything to you now.”

Unsure of what to make of her direction, he opened the paper with furrowed brows. A small message was scribbled inside.

**_His name is Ben. Temporary memory loss. Not a threat._ **

Shock froze him; his blood ran cold. The message was cryptic and chilling. “Maz, what is this? What’s going on?”

Pushing him up the ramp, Maz declined the explanation he sought. “You need to hurry.”

As the door to the ship began to close, he called back one final question. “What do I do once I’m there?”

“There’ll be a path. Go only to where it calls, nowhere else – ” Maz commanded with conviction; her voice not faltering in the slightest. A hint of warning trailed on the tail end. “You’ll know.”

* * *

From the moment he entered the temple on Lothal, it was as if a path had been laid out before him; an invisible force pulling him down hallways and around corners – just as Maz had said. It was as if she’d been there with him pulling him towards his destination just as she’d done on Takodana. Kylo followed without question. The doubt and skepticism he’d previously held onto had completely dissipated upon his arrival.

A part of him wanted to give into the temptation of his curiosity. The Jedi temple was in rough shape but the walls were still standing, for the most part, leaving plenty of places to explore. Kylo craved to know more about this unknown place; he’d never knew of its existence prior to this or had the proper idea of what mysteries it may have been hiding. But the track he'd been on was clear cut, and he knew staying focused held the utmost importance. Maz’s warning had been direct. 

Despite his wandering mind and massive amounts of 'whys' and 'what ifs" this whole situation had brought with it, something inside of him told him that wandering off of this set path could have grave consequences. Finding out if that were the case wasn't a risk he'd been willing to take. Besides, Maz sent him here...to this exact location. He knew there was a deeper meaning to this whole thing, and he knew that Maz was more than likely in on it all. 

_This is Maz. There's always a deeper meaning. She had a plan. She knows what she's doing._

Eventually, the path led him to a seemingly desecrated mural – destroyed enough to the point that Kylo was unable to decipher what it had been. He knew this was where he was supposed to end his trek – but why? Kylo ran his fingers along the deep cracks and ridges. “Why would someone destroy this?” Leaning in closer, he inspected the indecipherable images in front of him. As if a voice placed the thought in his head, Kylo spoke out robotically. “Or was it done with a specific purpose in mind?”

Being so close to the mural, Kylo noticed a single statement had been crudely carved into the wall next to it. The words weren’t threatening, but Kylo took it as a warning.

**Where Space And Time Meet**

Taking off his glove, he placed his palm against the picture in front of him. A feeling of peace overwhelmed him. The Force alerted him that he'd been meant to find this. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and in an instant, he was transported to what could only be described as another realm. Darkness encapsulated him until he was thrown onto the floor. 

As he climbed to his feet, he became hyper-aware of his surroundings. There'd been a main path laid before him, constructed with countless pathways breaking off from it; each ending with what looked like a portal. Vast amounts of endless universe surrounded him. Overwhelmed by the expansive and seemingly infinite space around him, Kylo felt as his chest tightened with anxiety.

_“Go only to where it calls, nowhere else. You’ll know.”_ Maz’s disembodied voice echoed around him. The words moved his body forward without his mind having to will it.

Voices circled around him; ones he recognized and ones he didn’t – words of warning, guidance, assertions, assurance. Each intangible statement pushed him towards a destination, guiding him in the correct direction. 

Snippets of time played through the portals at the end of each path; all different versions and visions of what had been, what could be, and what was to come. Kylo saw tales from the past come to life, feeling like an intruder on moments that weren't meant for him. 

The sound of his grandfathers' distorted breathing hugged tightly around him. Some of the snapshots in time even included Anakin and situations he'd gone through. The joy on his face as he married Padme; the destruction of his body as he became Darth Vader.

One pathway in particular began to call loudly to Kylo, begging for him to acknowledge it’s presence. Drawn to it magnetically, he couldn’t help but to give into temptation. As he inched down the pathway with shallow steps, the moment in time began to present itself clearly. It was Kylo and his father; the exact situation he’d been running from. Except for this time, the moment played out with a different ending. Kylo watched himself shove his lightsaber through Han; the fiery blade searing through his flesh. The life drained from his fathers eyes as he fell from the bridge, descending into the bottomless abyss below them. 

The ending that could have been. The ending Kylo had planned from the very beginning.

The outcome that Snoke had wanted. 

_“You don’t have to do this. I feel the conflict in you.”_

A woman’s voice spoke up as he loomed closer towards the moment playing in front of him. Kylo somehow knew that this comment was meant for him, and him only. It felt intimate even though it originated from an unknown source. Deja-vu plagued him, and his mind began to roll over on itself trying to figure out who it belonged to.

_"You’ll turn. I’ll help you.”_

The voice was smooth and silky, sending an even cover of comfort throughout his body. He trusted the warmth it carried with its words.

With the support of the final remark, Kylo stepped away and continued on the main walkway he’d originally set out on. The discarnate words began to jumble together the further into netherworld he ventured, turning into an indistinguishable ambush of input. He pulled his hands up to his ears, doing his best to drown out the noise. Suddenly, the space around him fell silent. He felt the hair on his body prick up with static. As he lowered his arms to his side a single portal opened to the right of him, revealing a flickering light above a bench. A soft voice imprinted into his mind; the significance ringing louder than any voice he’d heard up until that point.

_“Now, be brave and don't look back. Don't look back.”_

His steps moved forward with every word that was spoken, landing him inches away from the opening of the portal. Although there didn’t seem to be any living souls in the unidentifiable and foreign area he stared into, an unexplainable feeling urged him to enter.

He was being pulled by an invisible source, once again. Kylo knew this was where he needed to end his journey through time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated! <3
> 
> I'm on twitter @theriseofbensky


	2. The Stranger

* * *

“Need me to walk you home?”

“I hope you’re joking,” Rey lifted the hood of her jacket up over her head; an icy glare placed firmly on Finn's face. “Have I ever needed you to walk me home?”

With a roll of his eyes, Finn pulled his stare away from the glass he’d been drying. “Just trying to be nice since it’s raining and it’s like, _I don’t know_ , 2 in the morning.” 

“Well, if you’re that worried you could always let me borrow your umbrella. Protection from the rain and doubles as a weapon. Two for one.” Her overly wide smile added another level of sarcasm to her smart ass remark. 

“You’re such a shithead.” After hanging the remaining wine glasses above the bar, Finn ducked down to grab the umbrella; lightly tossing it over to Rey. “Be careful. Text when you’re home.”

“Will do,” As Rey opened the door, a gust of wind pushed the door back against her. “Unless I get blown away. Wow, it really **is** raining hard.”

“ _Have I ever needed you to walk me home?”_ Finn mocked back at Rey; eyebrows raised and snickering.

“Shut up, bye.” Extending her middle finger straight up, Rey waved back to Finn as she fought her way out of the front door.

Pulling her earbuds from her pocket, Rey picked a playlist from her phone to listen to on her walk home. Living on the main street of the town had its perks; her apartment was only a block or so from the bar she worked in – a few minutes of walking and she was home. The loft she lived in was directly above a coffee shop, so that was an entire perk of its own outside of the short commute to and from work.

During her nightly trek, Rey would keep her head down as to not make eye contact with any passing strangers. She was sure she’d be able to defend herself should anyone make the mistake of fucking with her, but that didn’t mean she wanted to actually test the theory out.

Wind from the quick bursts of rain created a makeshift tug of war between Rey and the umbrella – the draft pulling and tugging her every which way, soaking her a bit more with every gust. As she approached the front gate of her building, a force of wind blew the umbrella from her hand, sending it flying down the sidewalk.

“Shit! Shit, shit, shit!” Rey yelled after the inanimate object in hopes that it would somehow obey her commands and return to her. “Finn’s gonna kill me!”

Just as she began to run after it, she noticed it was heading straight towards a man sitting alone on a bench under a single streetlight; seemingly unphased by the fact that it was pouring. Stopping in her tracks, she attempted to see who he was, but she couldn’t make out what he looked like due to the rain falling around them. All that had been visible was the magnitude of his size, and he was intimidating, to say the least.

“Okay well, after serious consideration, I think Finn would probably be okay with me not running towards the strange man on the bench. He can buy another umbrella.” Still side eyeing the man cautiously, Rey quickly punched in the code to unlock the gate, permitting her entrance onto the stairs that led to her loft. 

Once upstairs, she pulled the drenched jacket off; cursing the umbrella that had basically done nothing to keep her dry. Her face scrunched in pain as she tugged at the hair tie tangled up in her wet mess of a bun. “Stupid fucking umbrella didn’t do shit.” Once her hair was freed, Rey prepped for a shower – freely taking off the remaining articles of the wet ensemble that clung to her body.

Suddenly, she remembered that there was an unknown man planted right outside of her home, possibly waiting for a glimpse at her glimmering wet and naked body. Dashing to her closet, she grabbed a housecoat to cover up – unwilling to take any chances at giving a free peepshow.

Rey peeked out of the window over her sink to see if the perceived hazard was still down there. 

He was.

The bench he’d been sat on was directly underneath her window. She snapped the blinds shut as she bit her thumbnail nervously.

_Strange._

After showering, she threw on a pair of sweats and an old high school long sleeve for pajamas. While making a snack in the kitchen, Rey periodically pulled the blinds open – just to get some final looks in before she tucked herself into bed. Morbid curiosity always had a way of winning when it came to her thought processes. 

The rain had let up quite a bit, allowing her to finally get a decent look at him. It was obvious he’d been out there for quite some time; she could tell by the way his semi-long hair was matted against his face – a sign that it was soaked completely through.

He was resting his elbows on his knees, his back slightly bent over; gaze set straight ahead. His position remained the same as before. The man sat so scarily still, Rey started to wonder if the city had built a statue during her shift at work.

Upon closer inspection, she saw the guy was younger and definitely not bad looking – at least from the second story window she was looking through. She took note of the fact that he'd been dressed in all black; black pants, black shoes, black gloves, back shirt -

_Wait a second, is that a cape? Is this man wearing a fucking ca-_

The phone in her pocket began to vibrate furiously, pulling her from her musings. Without a need to look at the name that popped up, she knew it was Finn. 

_3:15 am_. _Forgot to let him know I made it home safe. He hates when I do this._

She prepared for his usual spiel about her needing to be more responsible. With a sigh, she clicked her screen on.

After plugging her phone in and placing it on the nightstand, Rey slipped into bed. Unable to close her eyes, she stared up at the ceiling; all she could think about was the guy outside, and all of the possible reasons he was there alone. 

_Why didn’t he care that he was getting soaked? What the hell is he doing?_

_Also, why the fuck does he have a cape on?_

Her brain plunged through different scenarios of what could possibly happen if she did decide to go down there and offer him food.

_Well, he could be a serial killer. That’s likely._

_Or on drugs, also a very likely scenario._

_Or both, the most likely possibility._

She bit her lip; all of those stories wouldn’t end too great for her.

_Or he could really need help. Maybe he got kicked out of his house? Or maybe he has no one…_

Rey’s heart stung as she thought of the implications of that final scenario. She knew, very intimately, what it was like to have no one. 

_What if he’s on the verge of hurting himself? Oh God, what if he just doesn’t care about his life anymore? What if I could actually help him? I can’t just leave him down there...can I?_

The muscles in her legs stiffened; her body begged her to stand. The overwhelming need to speak to him took over. Something out of her control was pulling her towards him and she couldn’t fight it any longer.

That’s the excuse she was using, anyway.

  
“This is probably one of the stupidest decisions I’ve ever made,” Rey commented out loud to herself as she shoved her feet back into her boots. “So much for making responsible decisions. Sorry, Finn.”

After wrapping herself in a long, oversized sweater, and grabbing her last two snack-sized bags of Cheetos, Rey opened the front door and hopped down the stairs towards the street. 

Before unlocking the gate, she looked through the opening in the steel poles.

_Still there._

“Well, here goes nothin’.” With a final gulp, she unlocked the hatch and paced towards him; counting every footstep she took.

Rey could see light trickles of raindrops landing in small puddles on the sidewalk, but the rain had stopped for the most part. She figured that he’d hear her walking up, but even with her heavy steps approaching on his left side, he remained frozen in position. She paused a foot or so away from him, unsure of what exactly to say. She raised her arm stiffly in an awkward greeting. “H-hey, I saw you out here and I-”

The man's head rapidly jerked up in Rey’s direction causing her to take a slight step backward. Finally close enough to truly see the personal details of his face, her lips parted in surprise. The only light came from the flickering streetlight above them, but she was still able to see how absolutely stunning he was. 

Freckles decorated his face; plump lips placed perfectly above his strong chin and completely cut jawline. Although the bags under his eyes made it seem like he hadn’t seen sleep in approximately 7 years, it didn’t take away from the modelesque face he toted. And those eyes...a dark pool of mystery pulling her into their depths every millisecond she stared into them. 

The way he stared up at her came across as childlike wonderment, almost as if this was the first time he’d ever seen anyone in his whole life. Whatever the look had been caused from was irrelevant, she supposed. Regardless, his stare made her heart race to the point that her chest physically hurt. 

His face was a detailed painting that deserved its own museum; it deserved to be marveled at.

“Wow,” Rey breathed out involuntarily, awestruck at the sopping wet beauty she was in the presence of.

“What do you want?” He didn’t blink as the words left his mouth; his wide eyes open windows to whatever he held inside. 

Words escaped her; all she could do was hold out a single bag of Cheetos as she clutched the remaining bag in her other hand. “Here.”

His eyes wandered from her face down her arm, narrowing his stare towards the item she held out to him. “I don’t know what that is.”

The proclamation came out calm and quiet, yet somehow the vibrations reverberated through the sidewalk and up Rey’s legs – carefully placing butterflies deep within her stomach.

“Cheetos.” Apparently Rey had decided to speak in one word statements somewhere along the way of this process.

“Cheetos?” His head cocked to the side in confusion. “What is it?”

“Cheetos?” Rey questioned back. “They’re...Cheetos? I don’t know?” She turned the bag over to read the back, squinting her eyes at the ingredient list in search for an answer to his question. “Honestly, I’m not exactly sure what they’re made from. Hold on, let me take a look at the ingredi-”

“What do you do with them?”

_What the fuck is his deal? ‘What do you do with them?’ What kind of question is that?_

“I mean, personally, I eat them.”

Grabbing the bag from her hands, he studied it intently – a quizzical look as proof that he really _didn’t_ know what it was. 

“Why are you out here? Are you...are you alright?” She could tell something wasn’t right with this situation; alarms were sounding off in her head. Not the ‘he’s going to hurt you’ type of alerts, more so the ‘this person is lost and needs your help’ type.

He shrugged in response to her questions as he opened the bag and stuck one of the cheese-covered snacks into his mouth. After a moment of concentrating on the brand new flavors he was experiencing, he hummed in approval with a head nod. Continuing to munch on the tasty treat, the man handed over a note without a word.

Warily, Rey took the dampened piece of paper from his hand. The hastily scribbled words had become more distorted from the fact that the sheet was completely soaked. 

**_His name is Ben. Temporary memory loss. Not a threat._ **

That was it. No signature, not dated, no return to sender, no phone number or email address. Only 3 simple statements. 

_What the hell is going on here?_

Rey peered down at him hesitantly over the edge of the note. “Ben?” Uncertainty stained her question.

“That’s what it says,” Ben said as he poured the crumbs from the bag into his mouth; another childlike action furthering her suspicion that something really wasn’t right with this situation.

_Finding a helpless man-baby dropped off in front of my house at 3 in the morning was not how I envisioned my Thursday night turning out._

After crumpling the empty bag, he looked back over at the single remaining bag that Rey still held onto. An unintentional quirk of his lips turned up the corners of his mouth. Without words, he pointed at the prize he wanted; silently asking for more of this new found delicacy. 

Rey’s heart banged against her rib cage as his dimpled smile grew. 

_Okay, so he’s actually adorable. The note said he wasn’t a threat...but the cape. He’s wearing a cape. That can’t be a good sign. But, then again, I’ve never actually met someone who wears a cape on a day-to-day basis. I don’t know anything about the intricacies of cape-wearing if I’m being totally honest._

She took one final and complete survey of him before deciding whether or not she was going to invite him in.

_Fuck it, I’ll ask about the cape later._

“So, Ben…” Rey rocked back and forth on her heels for a moment before continuing – double and triple checking with herself that she was actually going to follow through with this. “Do you wanna come in and dry off?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated! <3
> 
> I'm on twitter @theriseofbensky


	3. Surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this update took forever! Real-life got in the way. I'm going to get back to updating regularly now. 
> 
> If you're still here, thanks for sticking around. 🖤

“ _What do you MEAN you brought a homeless man into your house?_ ”

The squealing voice on the other end of the phone pierced Rey’s eardrum. 

After quick consideration, Rey had decided to call her friend Kaydel for advice - hoping that since she was a nurse, she could look him over and possibly help her with the situation. Almost instantly, Rey regretted her split-second choice. Kaydel was flipping her shit.

Quietly, Rey slid into the closest room to her; peeking out towards the living room through a crack in the bathroom door as she shut it - making sure that her visitor was still oblivious and sitting on the couch. 

“ ** _Shhhhh!_** Shh, you’re loud as fuck, Kay.”

“ _What the hell are you thinking, Rey? Jesus Christ. Does Finn know?”_

“Are you insane? He’d murder me.”

“ _Not unless_ **_this guy_ ** _gets to you first.”_

Rey sat down on the toilet seat and slumped over – a loud grunt made its way through her clenched teeth. For some reason, she felt a sense of annoyance over the fact Kaydel was reacting so negatively to this. Rey hoped that out of everyone, Kaydel would have understood where she was coming from.

“His names Ben, and he’s not dangerous, he just needs–”

“ _You don’t know that. Look, I get it. You want to help the guy. That’s fine, very noble of you_ –”

A short pause came before she continued. Rey could tell that Kaydel was choosing her words carefully.

“– _but you buy the guy a fucking sandwich from McDonald's. Give him $20. You don’t show him where you live, let alone bring him inside your house!”_

Knowing Kaydel wasn’t wrong, Rey bit her tongue. She was talking common sense – ‘Stranger Danger 101’ type shit. But that didn’t stop Rey from having an inherent need to defend him; like a wolf protecting one from its pack.

Except they weren’t wolves, and she had no idea who this guy was. 

As that simple fact dawned on her, she found herself questioning _why it was_ that she felt so defensive over him. It didn’t matter, though. A greater power was at work here, Rey was sure of it - and it was replacing any sense of reasoning or doubt with complete and utter trust.

“Can you just help me with this?” Exasperation enveloped Rey’s tone, basically pleading with Kaydel. “Please? I don’t know what it is...there’s something about him. I have to help him.”

Silence hung on the line between them until Kaydel exaggeratedly sighed.

“ _Fine. Bring him to the hospital in the morning and I’ll see what I can find out. But promise me you’ll leave him here afterward? I’ll call the cops and get him help..._ ** _from the hospital,_** _not your home.”_

Rey opened the door to check on the stranger on her couch. He was thumbing through a cooking magazine he’d found on the coffee table. She watched him scan the pictures with a pinched brow and an ever-so-slightly tilted head; a look that told her he had no clue what he was staring at. 

Rey couldn’t help but smile at the curiosity that tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Something had demanded her to bring him up to her apartment; that same “thing” was pounding it into her brain that he wasn’t dangerous. This was a different circumstance; Rey was completely sure of it.

“He’s not dangerous, Kay,” Rey repeated, once again. “I know it. He’s like a giant baby or something. I don’t know...”

A very attractive, oddly clothed, giant man-baby...

“ _Even more of a reason for you to leave him alone. You have absolutely zero business taking care of an actual human child.”_

_“_ Wow, ouch. Thanks for that.”

“ _Not sugar coating anything for you this time, sunshine. Let’s just focus on not getting killed by the homeless man you brought in, okay?”_

“Bye, Kaydel.” Rey hung up the phone with an eye roll strong enough to be envisioned through the phone. 

_I can’t even be mad at her, honestly. She’s making complete sense._

Lightly banging her head on the door, Rey squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to gather her composure and thoughts before returning to Ben. 

*****

“All set!” Rey announced with a smile as she plopped down on the chair across from the couch – doing her best to hide any sign that she’d just agreed to abandon Ben tomorrow. “Tomorrow, erm...I mean,” Rey squinted towards the clock in the kitchen. 

_**3:47 AM** _

“I guess later today,” she corrected, “I’ll take you over to the hospital and my friend can check you out to make sure you’re doing alright.”

“That I’m...alright?” After examining his hands, he gave himself a once over. “I feel fine,” Ben responded flatly.

“Well, yeah, that may be true...” Biting her lip, Rey debated on how to word her next statement. The last thing she wanted to do was anger or insult him. The truth was that his memory loss may have been masking something super traumatic that happened. “But maybe we can find out what happened to you? Maybe there’s a missing person’s report out, or they can call the cops to find your family and get you home.”

“Alright.” His simple response held a despondency that couldn’t accurately be described. Sadness crept up and clouded Ben’s features, almost as if he was upset he’d have to go back to where he’d been. 

Everything inside of Rey screamed for her to ask him more; to allow him to release whatever it was he held inside that was eating at him. 

To let him know it’d be okay.

But she didn’t.

Instead, Rey held out a small stack of clothes, consisting of: 

  * An old shirt that belonged to an ex - one that Rey had stolen from him out of pure spite. She was pretty sure it would never fit over the broad shoulders Ben hid underneath his cape, but it was worth a shot.
  * A pair of sweatpants that Finn had so graciously let her wear home one night after she spilled an entire long island on her pants. She knew they’d be more like capris on Ben’s long legs, but she was working with a small number of options to offer him. 
  * Knee-high socks that had pictures of sushi on them because they were the biggest pair she owned and, honestly, who doesn’t love sushi?



“You can wear this for the night. Sorry, it’s all I have. You can change there.” Her cheeks flushed warmer than she’d ever felt as her finger pointed towards the bathroom; visions of him slowly removing his clothes like he was preparing for a hot sex scene in a movie rolled through her mind. “Y-you can take a s-shower if you want.” Her tongue tripped over words.

Momentarily hesitating, Ben stared at what he’d been offered – his brain quickly processing what to do with it. After grabbing the clothes from her hand, he turned to walk towards the bathroom she pointed out. As he reached the doorway, he paused; slightly turning his head back towards her. “I never asked for your name.”

“W-why do you want my name?” Rey impulsively stammered. The words left her mouth before she realized how stupid the question was.

“To properly thank you for your hospitality.” His statement flowed so effortlessly from his mouth that it took Rey by surprise. He went from speaking in simples bursts of thought a short time ago to speaking an entire proper sentence like Edward from Twilight in basically 2 seconds.

_What the fuck…?_

“Uhm...Rey,” she paused for half a second to swallow the butterflies that were trying to escape from her esophagus. “I’m Rey.”

With a nod of acknowledgment, Ben turned his back to walk towards the bathroom; shutting the door behind him with a quiet thud.

“Holy shit,” Rey breathed out in a whisper. 

_A very large man is preparing to step into my shower. A man hasn’t been in my shower since...well, Finn. When he had to bathe me after a long night of drinking and gracefully puking all over myself. Wait a second…_

A thought dawned on her.

 _What if he doesn’t know how to turn the shower on?_ She crept up to the door and softly placed her ear to the door - doing her best to not let him know that she was there. As she got settled, she placed more weight on the door in an attempt to get closer and hear better.

Silence.

_This isn’t creepy, right? Like, I’m not the creepy one in this entire situation...right? Am I using this as an excuse to possibly have the opportunity to see this man naked? Wait, what? What’s wrong with me? I -_

Lost in her inner musings, Rey was caught off guard as the door swung open, causing her to lose her balance and topple over into the bathroom. She closed her eyes in a knee jerk action.

Except she didn’t fall on the floor. Instead, her face was caught by the warm, muscled chest of a half-naked body. Her eyes fluttered open, shifting back and forth to gather data on what she’d landed on. The only thing stopping her from seeing _everything_ was his high waisted pants. 

_Oh, wow. He’s more toned than I thought. Those pants, though...not so sure about those._

Her eyes zeroed in on the nipple slightly up and to the left of her forehead. 

_Damn, that’s a nice looking nipple._

“Is this normal?” Ben spoke up, breaking the silence.

Snapping back to reality, Rey’s stomach dropped as she suddenly realized she was touching him. She quickly pulled back and straightened herself; sweat was dripping from her temple. She could feel her cheeks bloom warmth. “No! No, I promise I don’t normally listen to what people do in the bathroom! Just you. No, wait. That came out wrong. That’s not what this is! I wanted to see if you knew how to turn on -” 

Confused by her rush of words he did that oh-so-fucking-cute head tilt once more and held up a knob. “No, is **this** normal?”

“- the shower.” Rey finished her sentence. With widened eyes, she stared at the broken handle from her shower. “You...broke the handle.”

“I didn’t mean to, I’m sorry.”

Taking the piece of metal from his hand, she studied it closely to see exactly how broken it was. “With muscles like that, I’m not surprised. You’re the fucking Hulk.”

Clearly not understanding the reference, Ben shrugged. “I’m truly sorry I’m the Hulk.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll fix it later. If not, my landlord can foot the bill. He’s an asshole, anyways.” After opening one of the drawers under the sink, she threw the handle in and pulled out a wrench. “For now, this should work.” Carefully, she attached the wrench to what was left of the knob and turned the shower on. “There we go.”

“Thank you, again, Rey.”

The familiar feel of a blush crept up her cheeks. 

_Why does this keep happening? I normally hate men. All he does is say “Thank you” and I crumble? Weak, bitch. Weak._

Once again lost in her thoughts, Rey couldn’t feel the awkwardness of the quiet that had returned.

“I’d like to rinse off now.” He motioned to the shower, breaking the silence.

“Oh, yeah. Of course.” 

_God, I’m such an idiot._

“I’m gonna head to bed. I’ll lay a pillow and blanket out on the couch for you. Don’t kill me in my sleep.”

Ben’s face scrunched up in puzzlement, but he nodded in agreement anyway.

*****

“Stupid, stupid, stupid.” Rey slapped herself with every step she took to her bed. “ _Don’t kill me in my sleep,_ ” she mocked, “What the hell is wrong with me? As if that would ever stop someone from _actually_ killing you in your sleep.” 

After laying her head down on her pillow, she continued muttering her displease to herself she set an alarm on her phone - only slightly worried about the possibility that he _could_ murder her while she slept, for real.

She noticed that there were 4 unread messages from Finn.

_I’ll read them in the morning._

Rey grinned to herself. 

_I know how much he loves when I ignore him._

She was almost completely dozed off when the slight creak of the bathroom door jolted her eyes open.

_This is it. I’m vulnerable - ripe for the murder. Maybe these are the last few minutes of my life._

Half expecting him to crawl onto her bed and suffocate her, she was surprised when she heard a somewhat loud yawn, followed by a bit of wiggling around on her faux-leather couch. Slowly, the wiggling turned into a slight movement every minute or so until nothing - complete silence.

He didn’t kill her. He didn’t steal anything. He hadn’t ransacked her home and fled.

Ben didn’t do anything except take a shower and put on the clothes she’d given him.

Visions of him dressed in sushi socks and capris escorted her off into the darkness of unconsciousness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated!🖤
> 
> I'm on twitter @theriseofbensky


End file.
